Phones 4u JUMP launched for phone addicts

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If you're the type of person that gets bored of your phone easily and always wants a latest model in your pocket then Phones 4u may have the solution with its JUMP contract.

JUMP stands for Just Update My Phone and, although still tying you in to a two-year deal, allows you to switch your phone every six months if you want to.

You won't get a brand new handset for nothing every-time, rather get money off of it by trading in your old handset. You can get the initial handset free though, depending on what deal you take, Phones 4u will simply add £2.99 - £3.99 to the top of your monthly fee to get you involved and guarantees that a phone taken from them will be worth a minimum of £100 for a year. You can also chuck in up to two more handsets you may have lying around to bring down the price of the upgrade.

You are then essentially taking two agreements out - one with the network for all your minutes, texts and data and one with Phones 4u for the device itself.

"We conducted extensive research prior to the trial and national roll-out to inform the JUMP model and ensure it truly met consumer needs," said Alistair Firth, director of Customer Development at Phones 4u.

"We discovered 18 to 35-year-olds don’t want to return a handset on a leasing model. This is because they are used to keeping handsets as part of their mobile phone contract. They hold concerns over losing data or voiding the warranty if they customise the phone, and worry about paying a surcharge if the phone is damaged.

"We used these findings to help shape the JUMP offering and believe it offers the best flexibility and benefits of any deal currently available on the market."

Ernest Doku, tech expert at uSwitch.com, added: "For those tech-obsessed enough to want to upgrade frequently – and willing to pay extra each month to keep up with the smartphone Joneses – the JUMP tariff is an option worth considering.

"Hopefully, this deal marks the start of more flexible contract options to come, as there are very few mobile phone customers who relish the prospect of using the same handset for two years."

JUMP has been trialled since May 2011 in 100 stores. The national rollout is now under way and the offering is expected to be available in all of Phones 4u’s 586+ stores, via Phones 4u online and via Phones 4u telesales by May 2012.